Screw-roller for grain-graders or like machines.



PATENTED JULY 23, 1907i H. w. MAXWELL; SCREW ROLLER FOR GRAIN GRADERS OR LIKE MACHINES.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 8. 1907.

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HARRY W. MAXWELL, OF WASHINGTON, IOWA.

SCREW ROLLER FOR GRAIN-GRADERS OR LIKE MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 1907.

Application filed April 8, 1907- Serial No. 367,078-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY W. MAXWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the county of Washington and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Screw- Rollers for Grain-Graders or Like Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in screwrollers for grain graders, fanning mills, or like machines. The object of the invention is the improvement of the construction ofa screw-roller, which is comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, simple in construction, and efficient in operation. And the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a screw-roller constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, except that the screw-roller is turned at substantially right-angles to the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of a grader or fanning mill, showing my improved screw-roller positioned in the hopper thereof.

In operation, my screw-roller forces the grain through or from the hopper 5, on to the riddle or screen of a mill, and thereby prevents clogging and supplies an even amount of grain to the riddle at all times, whereby the efficiency of a machine, provided with my screwroller, is greatly increased.

In carrying out the present invention, I preferably form the screw-roller from a single piece of flat metal of substantially uniform width and thickness, by heating the entire piece and, preferably, twisting the same for forming the right spiral 1 and the left spiral 2. It will be noted, upon referring to Fig. 2, that the inner ends of the right and left spirals 1 and 2, respectively, form a substantially V-shapcd portion 3 for separating and directing the grain into the spirals. The right and left auger-like spirals constitute a shaftless body, whereby the action of the screw-roller is very eflicient, as there is no longitudinally-extending shaft to interfere with the screw-action of the roller, because, a longitudinally-extending shaft formed in the body of the roller, would be engaged by the grain, as the same passes through the auger-like spirals, which would tend to choke and interfere with the free action of the screwroller.

The outer end of each auger-like spiral, 1 and 2, is rounded, by either rolling or pounding the same, while it is in a heated condition, for forming a short shaft or gudgeon 4. It is to be noted that these shafts 4 are comparatively small with respect to the width of the auger-like spirals, and that they are, preferably, constructed from the same piece of fiat metal from which the right and left auger-like spirals are formed.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the auger is, preferably, positioned in the hopper 5 of a mill or grader, and con tiguous to the opening 6 in the bottom thereof. The short shafts 4 are journaled, preferably, in the sides of the hopperand one of said short shafts is formed with the polygonal portion 7, see Figs. 1 and 2, upon which is fixedly secured a sprocket-wheel 8. When the screwroller is rotated, by any suitable means, through the medium of sprocketwheel 8, grain may be evenly fed from hopper 5 through the elongated opening 6, and distributed upon the riddle or screen below the hopper 5, and thereby greatly increasing the efliciency of the operation of the mill or like machine.

It is to be noted that, by reason of the shaftless structure of the body of my screw-roller and the obviating of the employment of a plurality of right and left grooves or flanges upon a shaft, a very simple and durable, as well as efficient structure, is produced, which can be quickly and cheaply manufactured.

As there is only a single right and a single left spiral employed in the construction of my screw-roller, these auger-like spirals, of necessity, are comparatively bread, with respect to the size of the shaft 4, because it is only necessary to have comparatively small size shafts, while the spirals must be of suilicient size to produce the screw-action for feeding the grain evenly and rapidly longitudinally of my screw-roller.

What I claim is:

A shaftless spiral or screw distributing roller for grain separators, formed of a single piece or blank of ma terial substantially uniform in width and thickness in clined or twisted spirally in opposite directions from the center, terminating in integral short shafts or gudgeons, and presenting uninterrupted working surfaces throughout, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I hereunto allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY W. MAXWELL.

Witnesses SAMUEL THOMPSON, A. J. DAWSON. 

